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Monday, September 30, 2013

Vatican
City, 30 September 2013 (VIS) – We publish below the full text of
the Chirograph by by which the Holy Father institutes a Council of
Cardinals to assist him in the governance of the universal Church and
to draw up a project for the revision of the Apostolic Constitution
Pastor bonus on the Roman Curia.

“Among
the suggestions that emerged from the General Congregations of
Cardinals prior to the Conclave, mention was made of the expediency
of instituting a limited group of Members of the Episcopate, from
various parts of the world, with whom the Holy Father could consult,
individually or collectively, on specific matters. Once elected to
the See of Rome, I have had the opportunity to reflect on this issue
on a number of occasions, and consider that such an initiative would
be of significant use in fulfilling the pastoral ministry of Peter’s
Successor entrusted to me by my brother cardinals.

“For
this reason, on 13 April I announced the constitution of the
aforementioned group, at the same time indicating the names of those
who had been called to participate. Now, following reflection, I
consider it opportune that such a group, by means of the present
Chirograph, be instituted as a 'Council of Cardinals', with the task
of assisting me in the governance of the universal Church and drawing
up a project for the revision of the Apostolic Constitution Pastor
bonus on the Roman Curia. It will be composed of the same persons
previously nominated, who may be called upon, both in Council and
singly, on matters that I will from time to time consider worthy of
attention. The aforementioned Council which, with regard to the
number of members, I will compose in the most appropriate way, will
constitute a further expression of Episcopal communion and of the aid
to the munus petrinum that the Episcopate, disseminated throughout
the world, may offer”.

The
chirograph is dated 28 September 2013, the first year of Francis'
Pontificate.

Vatican
City, 30 September 2013 (VIS) – Today in the apostolic palace the
Holy Father received in audience participants in the international
meeting for peace organised by the St. Egidio Community. The meeting,
held in Rome from 29 September to 1 October, is entitled “Courage
and Hope: religions and cultures in dialogue”. Francis mentioned
John Paul II's invitation in Assisi to religious leaders to pray for
peace not one against the other, but rather alongside each other, and
praised the St. Egidio Community for continuing along this path and
ensuring that this did not remain an isolated event. “You have
gained pace”, he said, “with the participation of important
figures from all religions and from lay representatives and
humanists”.

The
Pope underlined that “there is no religious justification for
violence”, and, as emphasised by Benedict XVI two years ago, “it
is necessary to eliminate every form of violence motivated by
religion, and to keep vigil together to ensure that the world no
longer falls prey to the violence inherent in every plan for
civilisation that is based on a 'no' to God”.

The
Pope emphasised that peace is the responsibility of all, and that a
religious leader is a man of peace, because “the commandment of
peace is inscribed in the depths of religious traditions”. He also
remarked that “Peace requires tenacious, patient, strong,
intelligent dialogue, for which nothing is lost. Dialogue can win
over war. Dialogue enables people of different generations, who often
ignore each other, to live together; it enables the co-existence of
citizens of different ethnic origins, of different convictions.
Dialogue is the way of peace”.

The
Pope described religious leaders as “dialoguers”, working to
build peace; not as intermediaries seeking benefit, but rather as
authentic mediators with peace as their ultimate goal. In conclusion,
he encouraged them to continue their work, as “this courage of
peace gives the courage of hope to the world”.

Vatican
City, 30 September 2013 (VIS) - This morning at 10 a.m. in the
Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father presided
over an ordinary public consistory for the canonization of the
blessed Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.

During
the course of the consistory, the Pope decreed that blesseds John
XXIII and John Paul II be inscribed in the book of saints on Sunday,
27 April 2014, Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Vatican
City, 30 September 2013 (VIS) – The first of three meetings between
Pope Francis and the Council of Cardinals, instituted by the Holy
Father's Chirograph of 28 September, will take place tomorrow, 1
October.

The
council is composed of Cardinals Giuseppe Bertello, president of the
Governorate of Vatican City State; Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa,
archbishop emeritus of Santiago de Chile, Chile; Oswald Gracias,
archbishop of Bombay, India; Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich and
Freising, Germany; Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, archbishop of Kinshasa,
Democratic Republic of Congo; Sean Patrick O'Malley O.F.M. Cap.,
archbishop of Boston, USA; George Pell, archbishop of Sydney,
Australia; Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, S.D.B., archbishop of
Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in the role of coordinator; and Bishop
Marcello Semeraro of Albano, Italy, in the role of secretary.

During
the three days the Council will meet in the private library of the
third loggia in the papal apartment, and the working sessions will
take place in the morning and in the evening. The Holy Father will
participate, except on Wednesday morning during the general audience,
explained the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico
Lombardi, S.J., who went on to clarify that the conversations will be
private, so no communication is to be given at the end. He also
emphasised that, as stated in the Chirograph published today, the
Pope reserves the faculty of configuring the Council in the most
suitable form, and may therefore increase the number of members.

He
also observed that all the members of the Council, with the exception
of the Secretary and Cardinal Bertello (who represents the Curia) are
archbishops with large dioceses and in most cases with broad pastoral
experience. “The institution of the Council of Cardinals”, he
said, “is a further enrichment provided by the Pope to the
governance of the Church”, and recalled that during his pontificate
Francis has frequently made use of consultation, as is demonstrated
by the case of the meeting with the heads of the dicasteries and his
interest in reviving the working method of the Synod.

The
Council has no relation with other Church institutions and is not an
element of the architecture of the latter, but rather an organ of
consultation for the Pope, Fr.Lombardi continued, explaining that
since the announcement in April of the institution of a group of
eight cardinals to assist the Pope in the governance of the Church,
the members have received suggestions and proposals in their
respective areas of competence. Furthermore, in preparation for the
October meeting, contributions of various types have been sent to the
Pope, the opinions of the heads of dicasteries have been sought, and
the Secretary of State and College of Cardinals have been consulted.
“The Council has eighty documents that have been circulated amongst
its members, and the secretary, Bishop Semeraro, has prepared a
comprehensive synthesis. Similarly, over these months the members
have have also spoken with each other and on occasion with the Holy
Father".

Vatican
City, 30 September 2013 (VIS) – In a note published today, the
Pontifical Council for Social Communications explained the meaning
and context of the central theme of the next Social Communications
Day, which is celebrated every year on 1 June. This year, the theme
chosen by the Holy Father is “Communication at the service of an
authentic culture of encounter”.

“The
capacity to communicate is at the heart of what it means to be human.
It is in and through our communication that we are able to meet and
encounter at a meaningful level other people, express who we are,
what we think and believe, how we wish to live and, perhaps more
importantly, to come to know those with whom we are called to live.
Such communication calls for honesty, mutual respect and a commitment
to learn from each other.

“It
requires a capacity to know how to dialogue respectfully with the
truth of others. It is often what might be perceived initially as
‘difference’ in the other that reveals the richness of our
humanity. It is the discovery of the other that enables us to learn
the truth of who we are ourselves.

“In
our modern era, a new culture is developing advanced by technology,
and communication is in a sense “amplified” and “continuous”.
We are called to “rediscover, through the means of social
communication as well as by personal contact, the beauty that is at
the heart of our existence and journey, the beauty of faith and of
the beauty of the encounter with Christ.” (Address of Pope Francis
to participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for
Social Communications, 21 September 2013). In this context, each one
of us should accept the challenge to be authentic by witnessing to
values, Christian identity, cultural experiences, expressed with a
new language and shared with others.

“Our
ability to communicate, reflected in our participation in the
creative, communicative and unifying Trinitarian Love, is a gift
which allows us to grow in personal relationships, which are a
blessing in our lives, and to find in dialogue a response to those
divisions that create tensions within communities and between
nations.

“The
age of globalization is making communication possible even in the
most remote parts of the world, but it is also important “to use
modern technologies and social networks in such a way as to reveal a
presence that listens, converses and encourages.” (Address of Pope
Francis to participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical
Council for Social Communications, 21 September 2013), so that nobody
is excluded.

“The
Message for World Communications Day 2014 will explore the potential
of communication, especially in a networked and connected world, to
bring people closer to each other and to co-operate in the task of
building a more just world.

“World
Communications Day, the only worldwide celebration called for by the
Second Vatican Council (“Inter Mirifica”, 1963), is celebrated in
most countries, on the recommendation of the bishops of the world, on
the Sunday before Pentecost (June 1st in 2014).

“The
Holy Father’s message for World Communications Day is traditionally
published in conjunction with the Memorial of St. Francis de Sales,
patron of writers (January 24)”.

Vatican
City, 29 September 2013 (VIS) – The catechist is one who guards the
memory of God and who knows how to awaken it in others, said Pope
Francis in the homily he pronounced during Mass in St. Peter's
Square, in which more than 100,000 people participated, also filling
the adjacent Via della Conciliazione.

On
the concluding day of the pilgrimage to Rome of catechists from all
over the world, marking the Year of Faith, the Holy Father quoted the
words of the prophet Amos: “Woe to the complacent in Zion … lying
upon beds of ivory! They eat, they drink, they sing, they play and
they care nothing about other people’s troubles”. He explained
that, although these are harsh words, “they warn us about a danger
that all of us face. … The danger of complacency, comfort,
worldliness in our lifestyles and in our hearts, of making our
well-being the most important thing in our lives”.

This
was also the case of the rich man in the Gospel, who dressed
luxuriously and banqueted sumptuously without concern for the poor
man on his doorstep who had nothing to relieve his hunger. “Whenever
material things, money, worldliness, become the centre of our lives,
they take hold of us, they possess us; we lose our very identity as
human beings. … The rich man in the Gospel has no name, he is
simply 'a rich man'. Material things, his possessions, are his face;
he has nothing else”.

This
happens to us when we find “security in material things which
ultimately rob us of our face, our human face. This is what happens
when we become complacent, when we no longer remember God. … Life,
the world, other people, all of these become unreal, they no longer
matter, everything boils down to one thing: having. When we no longer
remember God, we too become unreal, we too become empty; like the
rich man in the Gospel, we no longer have a face. Those who run after
nothing become nothing”.

The
catechist must be those “who keep the memory of God alive; they
keep it alive in themselves and they are able to revive it in
others”, like Mary, “who … sees God’s wondrous works in her
life … but instead, after receiving the message of the angel and
conceiving the Son of God … goes to assist her elderly kinswoman
Elizabeth, also pregnant”, and upon encountering her, “the first
thing she does … is to recall God’s work, God’s fidelity, in
her own life, in the history of her people, in our history … Mary
remembers God”.

“This
canticle of Mary also contains the remembrance of her personal
history, God’s history with her, her own experience of faith. And
this is true too for each one of us and for every Christian: faith
contains our own memory of God’s history with us, the memory of our
encountering God who always takes the first step, who creates, saves
and transforms us. … A catechist is a Christian who puts this
remembrance at the service of proclamation, not to seem important,
not to talk about himself or herself, but to talk about God, about
his love and his fidelity. To talk about and to pass down all that
God has revealed, his teaching in its totality, neither trimming it
down nor adding on to it. … What is the Catechism itself, if not
the memory of God, the memory of his works in history and his drawing
near to us in Christ present in his word, in the sacraments, in his
Church, in his love?”.

Finally,
the Pope cited St. Paul's recommendations to Timothy, which also
indicate the path of the catechist: “Pursue righteousness,
godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. … Catechists are men
and women of the memory of God if they have a constant, living
relationship with him and with their neighbour; if they are men and
women of faith who truly trust in God and put their security in him;
if they are men and women of charity, love, who see others as
brothers and sisters; if they are men and women of 'hypomoné',
endurance and perseverance, able to face difficulties, trials and
failures with serenity and hope in the Lord; if they are gentle,
capable of understanding and mercy”.

Francis
concluded, “Let us ask the Lord that we may all be men and women
who keep the memory of God alive in ourselves, and are able to awaken
it in the hearts of others”.

Vatican
City, 29 September 2013 (VIS) – Following the celebration of Holy
Mass for the Day of Catechists on the occasion of the Year of Faith
on the solemnity of the archangels St. Michael, St. Raphael and St.
Gabriel, Pope Francis prayed the Angelus with the faithful and
pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square. Before the Marian prayer,
the Pope greeted His Beatitude Archbishop Youhanna X, Greek Orthodox
patriarch of Antioch and all the East. “Your presence”, he said,
“invites us once again to pray for peace in Syria and in the Middle
East”. Francis greeted the pilgrims from Assisi who had come to
Rome on horseback, and mentioned that in Croatia on Saturday 28
September, the diocesan priest Miroslav Bulesic, martyred in 1947,
was beatified.

Vatican
City, 28 September 2013 (VIS) - “Catechesis is a pillar for
education in faith. … Even though at times it may be difficult, it
is necessary to work hard and make efforts for which you don't always
see the results you hoped for, educating in faith is good! It is
perhaps the best legacy we can give: faith! … Catechesis is a
vocation: 'being' a catechist, this is the vocation, not 'working' as
a catechist. Be careful: I have not said to do the work of a
catechist, but rather to be one, because it involves all your life.
It means guiding towards the encounter with Jesus with words and with
life, with your witness … I like to recall the words of St. Francis
of Assisi to his friars: 'Always preach the Gospel, and if necessary,
use words', so that people may see the Gospel in your lives … we
must begin with Christ and this love He gives us”.

With
these words Pope Francis greeted the participants in the
International Congress on Catechesis promoted on the occasion of the
Year of Faith by the Pontifical Council for Promoting New
Evangelisation, whom he received in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall.

To
start again from Christ, the Pope indicated three stages, “like the
old Jesuits … one, two, three!”, he said. “First of all, … it
means being familiar with Him: Jesus insisted on this to disciples at
the Last Supper, when he prepared himself to live the greatest gift
of love, his sacrifice on the Cross. Jesus used the image of the vine
and its branches, and said: stay in my love, stay attached to me,
just as the branch is attached to the vine. If we remain united to
Him, we can bear fruit, and this is familiarity with Him. … The
first thing, for a disciple, is to stay with the Master, to listen to
Him, to learn from Him. … I ask you: how are you in the presence
of the Lord? When you go to the Lord, you look at the Tabernacle,
what do you do? Without words … But I say, I say, I think, I
reflect, I feel … Very good! But do you let the Lord look at you?
To let ourselves be watched by the Lord. He watches us and this is a
form of prayer. … If in our hearts there is not the warmth of God,
of His love, of His tenderness, how can we, poor sinners, warm the
hearts of others?”

To
explain the second stage, Francis said that starting again from
Christ means “imitating Him in coming out of oneself and going
towards others. This is a beautiful experience, if somewhat
paradoxical. Because the person who puts Christ at the centre of his
life is off-centre. The more you unite with Jesus and make Him the
centre of your life, the more He makes you abandon yourself,
decentralise yourself, and open yourself to others. This is the true
dynamism of love, this is the movement of God Himself! God is the
centre, but is always the gift of oneself, relations, life that is
communicated. … In the heart of the catechist, there always exists
this ‘systolic-diastolic’ movement: union with Jesus; encounter
with the other. If at one of these two movements is no longer
beating, then you do not live. It receives the gift of kerygma, and
offers it as a gift in turn”.

The
third element “follows the same line: starting again from Christ
means not being afraid to go with Him to the peripheries. Here I
think of the story of Jonah, a truly interesting figure, especially
in our times of change and incertitude. Jonas was a pius man, with a
calm and orderly life; this led him to have very clear mental
framework and to judge everything and everyone accordingly, in a
rigid fashion. … Therefore, when the Lord called on him to go and
preach in the great pagan city of Nineveh, Jonas did not feel like
doing this. 'Go there? But I have all the truth here!' … Nineveh
was outside his way of thinking and at the periphery of his world.
And so he ran away and boarded a boat”.

The
story of Jonah “teaches us not to be afraid of going outside our
ways of thinking in order to follow God, because God always goes
beyond. … God is not afraid! ...God is not afraid of the
peripheries. If you go to the peripheries, you will find Him there.
God is always faithful and creative, … and creativity is the pillar
of being a catechist. God is creative, He is not closed, and for this
reason He is never rigid. God is not rigid! He welcomes us, He comes
towards us, He understands us. To be faithful, to be creative, it is
necessary to know how to change. … If a catechist allows himself to
be conquered by fear, he is a coward; if he is not calm, he ends up
as a statue in a museum. … What I want to say now, I have already
said many times before, but it comes from my heart to say it again.
When we Christians are closed in our group, in our movement, in our
parish, in our own environment, we remain closed and what happens to
us is what happens to whatever remains closed: when a room is closed
the odour of humidity gathers. And if a person is closed in that
room, they become ill! When a Christian is closed in his group, or
parish, or movement, he remains closed and becomes ill. If a
Christian goes out into the streets, in the peripheries, what may
befall him is what happens to many people on the street: an accident.
We have seen many road accidents. But I say to you: I prefer a
thousand times over a Church afflicted by accidents rather than a
sick Church!”

“Jesus
did not say: go out and get by. No, he didn't say that! Jesus said,
go, I am with you! This is our beauty and our strength: if we go, if
we go to bring the Gospel with love, with true apostolic spirit, with
boldness and candidness, He walks with us, He goes before us. …
When we think of going far away, to an extreme periphery, and perhaps
when we are a little afraid, in reality He is already there: Jesus
awaits us in the heart of that brother, in his wounded flesh, in his
oppressed life, in his soul without faith”.

-
appointed Bishop Julito B. Cortes as bishop of Dumaguete (area 4,955,
population 1,172,000, Catholics 1,034,000, priests 104, religious
125), Philippines. Bishop Cortes, previously auxiliary of Cebu, was
born in Paranaque, Philippines in 1956, was ordained to the
priesthood in 1980, and received episcopal ordination in 2002.

-
Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelisation of Peoples, as special envoy to the celebration of the
Fourth American Missionary Congress (CAM4) and the Ninth Missionary
Congress of Latin America (COMLA9), scheduled to take place in
Maracaibo, Venezuela on 1 December 2013.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Vatican
City, 27 September 2013 (VIS) – The Bilateral Commission of the
Holy See and the State of Palestine, which is working on a Global
Agreement following the Basic Agreement, signed on 15 February 2000,
met yesterday in a Plenary Session in the Vatican to acknowledge the
work carried out at an informal level by the joint technical group
following the last official meeting held in Ramallah at the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine on 30 January 2013, and
to plan future progress, with the aim of accelerating the concluding
of the Agreement.

The
talks were chaired by Archbishop Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary
for the Holy See’s Relations with States, and by Ambassador Rawan
Sulaiman, assistant minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral
Affairs of the State of Palestine. The discussions took place in a
cordial and constructive atmosphere. Taking up the issues already
examined at an informal level, the Commission noted with great
satisfaction the progress achieved in formulating the text of the
Agreement, which deals with essential aspects of the life and
activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine, and encouraged the
efforts of the joint technical group, urging it to complete the
discussions on the remaining parts of the text, the formulation of
which is already at an advanced stage.

Both
Parties agree that the joint technical group will continue its work
in preparation for the next plenary meeting of the Bilateral
Commission, planned for early 2014.

The
Delegation of the Holy See was made up of the following members:
Archbishop Antoine Camilleri, under-secretary for Relations with
States; Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, apostolic delegate to
Jerusalem and Palestine; Archbishop Antonio Franco, apostolic nuncio;
Msgr. Maurizio Malvestiti, under-secretary of the Congregation for
the Oriental Churches; Msgr. Waldemar Stanisław Sommertag, official
of the section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State;
Fr. Emil Salayta, judicial vicar of the Latin Patriarchate of
Jerusalem.

The
members of the Palestinian Delegation were: Ambassador Rawan
Sulaiman, assistant minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral
Affairs; Ambassador Issa Kassissieh, representative of the State of
Palestine to the Holy See; Ammar Hijazi, deputy assistant minister of
Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs; Azem Bishara, juridical
counsellor of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO); Ammar
Nisnas, counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Palestine to the Holy
See.

Vatican
City, 27 September 2013 (VIS) – Archbishop Dominique Mamberti,
secretary for the Holy See's Relations with States, participated in a
high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on nuclear
disarmament, held in New York on 26 September.

The
archbishop made public his concerns regarding the proliferation of
nuclear weapons into other countries, and commented that the matter
cannot be fully addressed as long as nuclear states hold on to their
arsenals. “Under the terms of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, states
are enjoined to make 'good faith' efforts to negotiate the
elimination of nuclear weapons. Can we say there is 'good faith' when
modernisation programs of the nuclear weapons states continue despite
their affirmations of eventual nuclear disarmament?”.

“It
is now imperative for us to address in a systematic and coherent
manner the legal, political and technical requisites for a world free
from nuclear arms”, he said, emphasising the need “to begin as
soon as possible preparatory work on the Convention or a framework
agreement for a phased and verifiable elimination of nuclear arms”.

Mamberti
concluded, “It is time to counter the logic of fear with the ethic
of responsibility, fostering a climate of trust and sincere dialogue,
capable of promoting a culture of peace, founded on the primacy of
law and the common good, through a coherent and responsible
co-operation between all members of the international community”.

Vatican
City, 27 September 2013 (VIS) – Next Monday, 30 September, the
director of the Holy See Press Office, Federico Lombardi, S.J., will
hold a briefing on the Pope's meeting with the group of eight
cardinals, regarding the nature of the meeting, preparation and
working times involved, and the information that will be available.

“It
is important to remember that the Group is constituted to offer
advice to the Pope and not to make autonomous decisions, that it is a
first meeting which will be followed by others, and that the
participants will abide by criteria of privacy regarding the content
of the consultations”.

Vatican
City, 27 September 2013 (VIS) - Today, the Holy Father appointed
Bishop Jean-Christophe Lagleize as bishop of Metz (area 6,226,
population 1,034,000, Catholics 808,800, priests 372, permanent
deacons 59, religious 674), France. Bishop Lagleize, previously
bishop of Valence, France, was born in Soisy-sous-Montmorency, France
in 1954, was ordained to the priesthood in 1981, and received
episcopal ordination in 2001. He succeeds Bishop Pierre Raffin, O.P.,
whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy
Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Vatican
City, 26 September 2013 (VIS) – This morning in the Holy See Press
Office a press conference was held to present the Days commemorating
the 50th Anniversary of John XXIII's encyclical, “Pacem in Terris”,
which was published on 11 April 1963 and offered, as Bishop Mario
Toso explained, “a structure for thought and political planning
that ensured that the Church and believers were committed to social
questions in the years to come, with a truly universal capacity for
foresight and suggestion”.

The
speakers at the conference were Bishop Toso, secretary for the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah
Turkson, and Vittorio Alberti, respectively president and official of
the same dicastery. The Days will be held on 2, 3 and 4 October.

The
commemoration Days are intended to offer an occasion for reflection
on the current relevance and actualisation of the contents of “Pacem
in Terris” in contemporary reality and to hasten the implementation
of its fundamental teachings in the areas of human rights, the common
good, and politics. These are all fields, Cardinal Turkson said, “in
which the peaceful co-existence of peoples and nations is at stake.
Indeed, to achieve peace, rather than offering theories on peace or
war, Pope John made an appeal to man himself and to his dignity”.

The
three days will focus on three issues. The first is the question the
role of political institutions and global policies, and in facing
this type of problem it was considered necessary “to begin with an
examination of the theme of reform of the largest global institution:
the United Nations”. Other urgent matters that, “due to the
phenomenon of globalisation, have assumed dimensions significant
enough to warrant the commitment and co-operation of the
international community, are those of work, or rather unemployment,
and the protection of human rights”.

“We
have decided to then explain … how international collaboration
takes place within the great regional political institutions: the
European Council, the African Union, the League of Arab States, the
Organisation of American States and the organisation for Asian
Co-operation Dialogue”, added Cardinal Turkson. The contributions
of experts in the field will be heard alongside those of exponents of
the ecclesial world who, on 3 October, will speak about the
institutions which, within the Catholic Church, unite the national
episcopal conferences into entities on a continental scale”.

On
4 October the second matter will be considered: the new frontiers of
peace. “The implementation of 'Pacem in Terris' begins from the
assumption that we currently act in contexts significantly different
to those of fifty years ago, a time in which conflict, not always
merely latent, essentially took the form of the opposition of two
blocs engaged in the 'Cold War'. It was therefore decided to identify
the challenges that currently appear most dangerous for peacekeeping:
religious freedom and, more specifically, the issue of the
persecution of Christians throughout the world; the economic crisis,
which is first and foremost a moral crisis; the emergency of
education, especially acute in the mass media; conflicts, ever more
recurrent, over access to resources; the distorted use of biological
sciences which causes profound harm to human dignity; armaments; and
security measures”.

A
dual approach is taken to the theme of education: formation and
practical experience, to which the first Day, 2 October, will be
dedicated. “Around 60 rectors and lecturers, representing the same
number of pontifical and Catholic universities from all five
continents, will meet to consider in depth one of the most crucial
questions of our time: the formation of new generations of Catholics
engaged in politics”. In response to this need, representatives of
bodies of regional governance will present their experiences,
reflecting upon “the method in use for pursuing the common good at
a continental level”.

The
cardinal concluded by mentioning that, as a corollary to the
three-day event, there will be a presentation of the volume “The
Concept of Peace”, produced with the collaboration of eminent
scholars in the field.

-
appointed the following as consultors of the Office of Liturgical
Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff:

Fr.
Silvano Maria Maggiani, O.S.M., lecturer in sacramentary and liturgy
at the Marianum Pontifical faculty of theology and at the Pontifical
Liturgical Institute of the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome,
and member of the Academic Council of the Pontifical International
Marian Academy;

Fr.
Corrado Maggioni, S.M.M., office head in the Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, member of the Academic
Council of the Pontifical International Marian Academy;

Fr.
Giuseppe Midili, O. Carm., director of the Liturgical Office of the
diocese of Rome, lecturer in pastoral liturgy at the Pontifical
Liturgical Institute of the St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum in Rome;

Msgr.
Angelo Lameri, of the clergy of the diocese of Crema, lecturer in
liturgy at the Lateran Pontifical University, Rome;

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Vatican
City, 25 September 2013 (VIS) – The unity of the Church, dispersed
around the world, was the theme chosen by Pope Francis for his
catechesis during today's general audience in which over 40,000
people participated. “In the Creed”, he said, “we profess our
faith in the Church, which is one, and this Church is in itself unity
… even though it spreads across all the continents”.

Unity
in faith, in hope, in charity, in the sacraments and the ministry,
are “like the pillars that support and hold together the single
great edifice of the Church. Wherever we go, even in the smallest
parish, in the furthest corners of this earth, there is the One
Church; we are at home, we are with our family, we are brothers and
sisters. And this is a great gift from God! The Church is One for
all. There is not one Church for Europeans, one for Africans, one for
Americans, one for Asians, one for those who live in Oceania, but she
is the same everywhere. And the Church is just like a family: the
members may be far away, spread around the world, but the strong
bonds that unite us all hold firm regardless of the distance”.

The
Pope recalled that during the recent World Youth Day in Rio de
Janeiro, which brought together so many cultures and languages, from
so many places of origin, there was nonetheless a “profound unity,
which formed a single Church, in whom all were united, and this could
be felt”. “Let each one of us ask: do I feel this unity? Do I
live this unity? Or am I not interested, am I one of those who would
'privatise' the Church for their own group, their own nation, their
own friends? It is sad to encounter a privatised Church, as this form
of selfishness indicates a lack of faith. Do we pray for each other?
I wonder how many of you you pray for persecuted Christians, for
those brothers or those sisters who suffer as a consequence of their
faith? It is important to look over one's own fence, to feel part of
the Church, of the single family of God”.

Francis
then went on to ask whether there were any casualties of this unity,
whether it could inflict harm, since “at times there arise
misunderstandings, conflicts, tensions and divisions, which cause
harm and then the Church does not have the face we would like, she
does not manifest her charity, as God would want. We create those
lacerations! And if we look at the divisions that still exist between
Christians - Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants – we become aware of
the effort that it takes to make this unity fully visible”. The
Pope explained that although “God gives us unity”, we sometimes
find it difficult to manifest it in our lives. “It is necessary to
seek, to build communion, to educate in communion, to overcome
misunderstandings and divisions. … Our world needs unity,
reconciliation and communion, and the Church is the Home of
Communion”.

Quoting
St. Paul to the Ephesians, the Pope reiterated that in order to
conserve unity it is necessary to have “humility, gentleness,
magnanimity and love”, but this is not primarily the result of our
consent or efforts, but rather comes from the Holy Spirit, which
continually recreates the Church and creates “unity in diversity,
which is harmony”. The Holy Father concluded by asking the Lord, as
in the prayer of St. Francis, to help us never to become instruments
of division, but rather to bring love where there is hate,
forgiveness where there is injury and union where there is discord.

-
appointed Fr. Joao Inacio Muller, O.F.M., as bishop of Lorena (area
5,055, population 293,000, Catholics 223,000, priests 69, permanent
deacons 14, religious 150), Brazil. The bishop-elect, previously
provincial minister of the Friars Minor of the province “Sao
Francisco de Assis”, was born in Santa Clara do Sul, Brazil in 1960
and was ordained a priest in 1988 He holds a licentiate in spiritual
theology from the "Antonianum" Pontifical Athenaeum in
Rome, and has served in a number of pastoral and administrative
roles, including: guardian of the “Sao Boaventura” convent, vicar
of the parish “Sao Joao Batista” in Daltro Filho in the diocese
of Caxias do Sul, master of novices, secretary for the Formation and
Studies for the province and provincial definitor, vicar of the
fraternity, master of students of philosophy, and agent for pastoral
care in the network of communities in the “Santa Clara” parish at
Lomba do Pinheiro.

-
appointed Bishop Marco Eugenio Galrao Leite de Almeida as auxiliary
of Sao Salvador da Bahia (area 3,859, population 3,862,000, Catholics
2,730,000, priests 289, permanent deacons 73, religious 586), Brazil.
Bishop Galrao Leite de Almeida, previously bishop of Estancia,
Brazil, was born in Aracaju, Brazil in 1959, was ordained to the
priesthood in 1989, and received episcopal ordination in 2003.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – In a press conference held in the
Holy See Press Office this morning, Cardinal Antonio Maria Veglio,
president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Itinerant Peoples, along with Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparambil
and Fr. Gabriele F. Bentoglio, presented the Holy Father's message
for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated
on 19 January 2014, focusing on the theme of “Migrants and
Refugees: towards a better world”.

Cardinal
Veglio explained that the first message from Pope Francis for this
day centres on the concept of a better world, a concept that should
be considered in the context of the phenomenon of globalisation, with
its positive and negative elements. Against this background, he
outlines the phenomenon of human mobility that Francis, quoting
Benedict XVI, defines as “a sign of the times”. “It would
appear appropriate at this time to recall that the phenomenon of
human mobility is striking precisely because of the multitude of
people affected. According to statistics published by the United
Nations at the beginning of September, 232 million people live
outside their nation of origin. Furthermore, 740 million are internal
migrants, those who move within the territory of their own country.
In total, it is estimated that around a billion human beings
experience migration. With reference to the whole of humanity, these
statistics would indicate that around a seventh of the world
population is affected by migration, and as a consequence, one person
in seven is a migrant”.

“However,
in spite of difficulties and dramatic situations, migration is an
invitation to imagine a different future, in which we glimpse the
creation of a 'better world'. … It is an invitation aimed at the
development of all humanity, including each person with his or her
own spiritual and cultural potential'. … If we accept that culture
is an entirety of spiritual, existential and intellectual aspects
that distinguish a society, including also ways of life, fundamental
rights, value systems, traditions and beliefs, then it will be
possible to confirm that the whole of human existence is permeated by
attitudes of encounter and welcome”.

Archbishop
Kalathiparambil continued by taking up the theme of reintegration of
migrants, emphasising that “no-one can remain in an emergency
situation, such as a refugee camp, on a long-term basis”. He also
referred to the increase in cases of refugees who settle in urban
areas and who are therefore more difficult to identify and help. To
face this problem, innovative methods are being developed, including
communication via text messages on the distribution of benefits,
internet connection, the production of films on refugees' rights,
telephone helplines to provide information and the opportunity to
obtain credit cards enabling financial assistance. “This is all
currently happening in the Middle East, where Syrian refugees are
living in refugee camps and, in most cases, in urban areas”.

“On
the one hand, this is about ensuring a limit to human suffering, and
on the other, to protecting and promoting a dignified life, at the
same time offering adequate structures, stability and hope for the
future. It must be said that there has been an increase in
international minimum standards, for instance in relation to
availability of foodstuffs, shelter, education, healthcare, detention
and repatriation. Besides, these international standards are of a
qualitative nature and are therefore universal and applicable in any
context”.

However,
the welcome offered to refugees also presents some very important
problems. “Some countries are making great sacrifices to face this
phenomenon. For example, more than two million refugees now live in
those countries bordering Syria, while in Europe, especially in
Sweden and Germany, fifty thousand Syrian refugees seek asylum. For
decades millions of refugees, mostly Afghan, have been settling in
Pakistan and in Iran, and of course many refugees are reaching other
countries, such as Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya. Initially, it was
expected that the responsibility for these refugees would be shared.
Instead, this aspect has not been considered in the agreements, and
similarly it is not known what will happen to the refugees during and
after their request for asylum. As a consequence, for many years the
countries who have received refugees have been able to count only on
themselves”.

Fr.
Bentoglio concluded the presentation by summarising the history of
World Day for Migrants and Refugees, instituted during the
pontificate of Benedict XV and celebrated the first time on 21
February 1915. Intended initially for the Italian dioceses and later
for those frequented by Italian immigrants in America, it acquired a
universal nature with the Apostolic Constitution Exsul Familia
promulgated in 1952 by Pius XII, which recommended the activation of
adequate support structures to assist migratory pastoral activity; it
also calls for “solidarity”. From the 1970s onwards “the
ecclesiological vision of the Vatican Council II is mirrored also in
migratory pastoral care … the migrant emerges as a person and as a
citizen with rights and duties and, first as a beneficiary of works
of Christian charity, the migrant becomes a subject of
evangelisation, agent of God's providential plan for the edifying
encounter between peoples and the diffusion of the Gospel. Finally,
we again uphold the tradition that the Holy Father himself signs the
annual message for this Day, which reaches out to all the Catholic
Church, including migrants and refugees. It is clearly understood
that this is a special occasion for offering a biblical-theological
approach to the pastoral care of human mobility, which finds its apex
in Jesus the Saviour, a foreigner in the world of men, who continues
his work of salvation through the foreigners of today, migrants and
refugees”.

Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – The first message of Pope Francesco
for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on
19 January 2014, will focus on “Migrants and Refugees: Towards a
Better World”, a theme inspired by the hope of all people for a
better future in an historical moment which sees the greatest
migratory flows of all times. The full English-language text of the
message, dated 5 August 2013, is published below:

“Our
societies are experiencing, in an unprecedented way, processes of
mutual interdependence and interaction on the global level. While not
lacking problematic or negative elements, these processes are aimed
at improving the living conditions of the human family, not only
economically, but politically and culturally as well. Each individual
is a part of humanity and, with the entire family of peoples, shares
the hope of a better future. This consideration inspired the theme I
have chosen for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees this year:
Migrants and Refugees: Towards a Better World.

“In
our changing world, the growing phenomenon of human mobility emerges,
to use the words of Pope Benedict XVI, as a 'sign of the times'.
While it is true that migrations often reveal failures and
shortcomings on the part of States and the international community,
they also point to the aspiration of humanity to enjoy a unity marked
by respect for differences, by attitudes of acceptance and
hospitality which enable an equitable sharing of the world’s goods,
and by the protection and the advancement of the dignity and
centrality of each human being.

“From
the Christian standpoint, the reality of migration, like other human
realities, points to the tension between the beauty of creation,
marked by Grace and the Redemption, and the mystery of sin.
Solidarity, acceptance, and signs of fraternity and understanding
exist side by side with rejection, discrimination, trafficking and
exploitation, suffering and death. Particularly disturbing are those
situations where migration is not only involuntary, but actually set
in motion by various forms of human trafficking and enslavement.
Nowadays, 'slave labour' is common coin! Yet despite the problems,
risks and difficulties to be faced, great numbers of migrants and
refugees continue to be inspired by confidence and hope; in their
hearts they long for a better future, not only for themselves but for
their families and those closest to them.

“What
is involved in the creation of 'a better world'? The expression does
not allude naively to abstract notions or unattainable ideals;
rather, it aims at an authentic and integral development, at efforts
to provide dignified living conditions for everyone, at finding just
responses to the needs of individuals and families, and at ensuring
that God’s gift of creation is respected, safeguarded and
cultivated. The Venerable Paul VI described the aspirations of people
today in this way: 'to secure a sure food supply, cures for diseases
and steady employment… to exercise greater personal resonsibility;
to do more, to learn more, and have more, in order to be more'.

“Our
hearts do desire something 'more'. Beyond greater knowledge or
possessions, they want to 'be' more. Development cannot be reduced to
economic growth alone, often attained without a thought for the poor
and the vulnerable. A better world will come about only if attention
is first paid to individuals; if human promotion is integral, taking
account of every dimension of the person, including the spiritual; if
no one is neglected, including the poor, the sick, prisoners, the
needy and the stranger; if we can prove capable of leaving behind a
throwaway culture and embracing one of encounter and acceptance.

“Migrants
and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are
children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their
homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing
and having, but above all for being more. The sheer number of people
migrating from one continent to another, or shifting places within
their own countries and geographical areas, is striking. Contemporary
movements of migration represent the largest movement of individuals,
if not of peoples, in history. As the Church accompanies migrants and
refugees on their journey, she seeks to understand the causes of
migration, but she also works to overcome its negative effects, and
to maximize its positive influence on the communities of origin,
transit and destination.

“While
encouraging the development of a better world, we cannot remain
silent about the scandal of poverty in its various forms. Violence,
exploitation, discrimination, marginalization, restrictive approaches
to fundamental freedoms, whether of individuals or of groups: these
are some of the chief elements of poverty which need to be overcome.
Often these are precisely the elements which mark migratory
movements, thus linking migration to poverty. Fleeing from situations
of extreme poverty or persecution in the hope of a better future, or
simply to save their own lives, millions of persons choose to
migrate. Despite their hopes and expectations, they often encounter
mistrust, rejection and exclusion, to say nothing of tragedies and
disasters which offend their human dignity.

“The
reality of migration, given its new dimensions in our age of
globalization, needs to be approached and managed in a new, equitable
and effective manner; more than anything, this calls for
international cooperation and a spirit of profound solidarity and
compassion. Cooperation at different levels is critical, including
the broad adoption of policies and rules aimed at protecting and
promoting the human person. Pope Benedict XVI sketched the parameters
of such policies, stating that they 'should set out from close
collaboration between the migrants’ countries of origin and their
countries of destination; they should be accompanied by adequate
international norms able to coordinate different legislative systems
with a view to safeguarding the needs and rights of individual
migrants and their families, and at the same time, those of the host
countries'. Working together for a better world requires that
countries help one another, in a spirit of willingness and trust,
without raising insurmountable barriers. A good synergy can be a
source of encouragement to government leaders as they confront
socio-economic imbalances and an unregulated globalization, which are
among some of the causes of migration movements in which individuals
are more victims than protagonists. No country can single-handedly
face the difficulties associated with this phenomenon, which is now
so widespread that it affects every continent in the twofold movement
of immigration and emigration.

“It
must also be emphasized that such cooperation begins with the efforts
of each country to create better economic and social conditions at
home, so that emigration will not be the only option left for those
who seek peace, justice, security and full respect of their human
dignity. The creation of opportunities for employment in the local
economies will also avoid the separation of families and ensure that
individuals and groups enjoy conditions of stability and serenity.

“Finally,
in considering the situation of migrants and refugees, I would point
to yet another element in building a better world, namely, the
elimination of prejudices and presuppositions in the approach to
migration. Not infrequently, the arrival of migrants, displaced
persons, asylum-seekers and refugees gives rise to suspicion and
hostility. There is a fear that society will become less secure, that
identity and culture will be lost, that competition for jobs will
become stiffer and even that criminal activity will increase. The
communications media have a role of great responsibility in this
regard: it is up to them, in fact, to break down stereotypes and to
offer correct information in reporting the errors of a few as well as
the honesty, rectitude and goodness of the majority. A change of
attitude towards migrants and refugees is needed on the part of
everyone, moving away from attitudes of defensiveness and fear,
indifference and marginalization – all typical of a throwaway
culture – towards attitudes based on a culture of encounter, the
only culture capable of building a better, more just and fraternal
world. The communications media are themselves called to embrace this
'conversion of attitudes' and to promote this change in the way
migrants and refugees are treated.

“I
think of how even the Holy Family of Nazareth experienced initial
rejection: Mary 'gave birth to her first-born son, and wrapped him in
swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no
place for them in the inn'. Jesus, Mary and Joseph knew what it meant
to leave their own country and become migrants: threatened by Herod’s
lust for power, they were forced to take flight and seek refuge in
Egypt. But the maternal heart of Mary and the compassionate heart of
Joseph, the Protector of the Holy Family, never doubted that God
would always be with them. Through their intercession, may that same
firm certainty dwell in the heart of every migrant and refugee.

“The
Church, responding to Christ’s command to 'go and make disciples of
all nations', is called to be the People of God which embraces all
peoples and brings to them the proclamation of the Gospel, for the
face of each person bears the mark of the face of Christ! Here we
find the deepest foundation of the dignity of the human person, which
must always be respected and safeguarded. It is less the criteria of
efficiency, productivity, social class, or ethnic or religious
belonging which ground that personal dignity, so much as the fact of
being created in God’s own image and likeness and, even more so,
being children of God. Every human being is a child of God! He or she
bears the image of Christ! We ourselves need to see, and then to
enable others to see, that migrants and refugees do not only
represent a problem to be solved, but are brothers and sisters to be
welcomed, respected and loved. They are an occasion that Providence
gives us to help build a more just society, a more perfect democracy,
a more united country, a more fraternal world and a more open and
evangelical Christian community. Migration can offer possibilities
for a new evangelisation, open vistas for the growth of a new
humanity foreshadowed in the paschal mystery: a humanity for which
every foreign country is a homeland and every homeland is a foreign
country.

“Dear
migrants and refugees! Never lose the hope that you too are facing a
more secure future, that on your journey you will encounter an
outstretched hand, and that you can experience fraternal solidarity
and the warmth of friendship! To all of you, and to those who have
devoted their lives and their efforts to helping you, I give the
assurance of my prayers and I cordially impart my Apostolic
Blessing”.

Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran,
president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue,
travelled to Kazakhstan on 20 September, invited by Kairat Mami,
president of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan and head of the
secretariat of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional
Religions, to participate in the celebration of the tenth anniversary
of the Congress. The Cardinal also met with representatives of the
local Church.

Vatican
City, 24 September 2013 (VIS) – The Holy See will also participate
in this year's European Heritage Day, a common initiative of the
Council of Europe and the European Commission which will be
celebrated by fifty countries throughout the continent on Sunday 29
September.

The
general theme is “The Image of the Faith in European Heritage”
and the programme has been developed with the collaboration of the
Pontifical Council for Culture and the Vatican Museums. On the
occasion of European Heritage Day, entry to the Vatican Museums will
be free.

-
appointed Bishop Raul Martin as bishop of Santa Rosa (area 143,440,
population 348,000, Catholics 172,600, priests 38, religious 75),
Argentina. Bishop Martin, previously auxiliary of Buenos Aires,
Argentina was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1957, was ordained
to the priesthood in 1990, and received episcopal ordination in 2006.

-
appointed Bishop Pietro Maria Fragnelli as bishop of Trapani (area
1,089, population 208,216, Catholics 207,000, priests 103, permanent
deacons 17, religious 212), Italy. Bishop Fragnelli, previously
bishop of Castellaneta, Italy was born in Crispiano, Italy in 1952,
was ordained to the priesthood in 1977, and received episcopal
ordination in 2003.

-
appointed Bishop Bernard A. Hebda as coadjutor archbishop of Newark
(area 1,328, population 3,089,000, Catholics 1,427,000, priests 774,
permanent deacons 184, religious 1,076), U.S.A. Archbishop-elect
Hebda, previously bishop of Gaylord, U.S.A, was born in Pittsburgh,
U.S.A. in 1959, was ordained to the priesthood in 1989, and received
episcopal ordination in 2009.

-
confirmed Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko as president of the Pontifical
Council for the Laity, and Bishop Josef Clemens as secretary of the
same dicastery, for the current five-year period. All members and
consultors of the same dicastery have been confirmed until 31
December 2013.

-
confirmed Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson as president of the
Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace and Bishop Mario Toso as
secretary of the same dicastery, as well as all members and
consultors, for the current five-year period.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Vatican
City, 22 September 2013 (VIS) – This morning Pope Francis arrived
in Cagliari, on the Italian island of Sardinia, on his second
pastoral visit in Italy, following his first trip to the Lampedusa in
Sicily. Both islands are affected by serious problems: in Sicily, the
arrival of immigrants, and in Sardinia, the lack of work on account
of the closure of many factories.

The
pontiff transferred from Cagliari airport to Largo Carlo Felice,
where he was awaited by the religious and civil authorities, along
with many people holding banners demanding work. Before the Pope's
address, a young unemployed person, an entrepreneur and a union
member spoke about their experiences. Moved by their words, Francis
set aside the text he had prepared and spoke off the cuff.

“With
this meeting I wish above all to express my closeness, especially in
situations of suffering: to many young unemployed, to those in
receipt of employment insurance or in precarious employment, and to
struggling small businesses. It is a situation I know well from my
experience in Argentina. I personally have not experienced this
difficulty but my family has; my father, at a young age, went to
Argentina full of illusions about 'finding America'. And he suffered
throughout the terrible depression of the 1930s. They lost
everything! There was no work! And at home, during my childhood, I
heard talk of this time, of this suffering. … But I must say to
you: 'Have courage!'. But I am also aware I have to do everything on
my side too, so that this word 'courage' is not simply a beautiful
but passing word, so that it is not simply the cordial smile of an
priest, of an employee of the Church who comes and says to you, 'have
courage'! No! I don't want that. I want this courage to come from
within and to enable me to do all I can as a shepherd, as a man. We
must face this with solidarity, among yourselves but also between us;
we must face this historical challenge with solidarity and
intelligence”.

“This
is the second city I have visited in Italy. It is interesting to note
that both – the first, and this one – are islands. In the first I
witnessed the suffering of many people who risked their lives in
search of dignity, bread, health: the world of refugees. And I saw
the response of that city which, being an island, did not want to be
isolated, and … gives us a fine example of welcome. … Here, in
this second city-island I visit, again here I find suffering. … A
suffering, the lack of work, that leads you to … feel as if you are
without dignity! Where there is no work, there is no dignity! And
this is not a problem solely in Sardinia … or only of Italy and
certain countries in Europe, it is the consequence of a worldwide
choice, an economic system that leads to this tragedy, an economic
system that has at its centre the idol of money”.

“God
did not want there to be an idol at the centre of the world, but
rather that men and women bring the world ahead through their work.
But now, in this system devoid of ethics, at the centre there is an
idol, the world has become an idolater of this 'money-god'. Money
commands! Cash commands! All that serves this idol commands. And what
happens? To defend this idol, we pile up all our resources in the
centre and the outer extremes fall by the wayside. The elderly fall,
because in this world there is no place for them! Some speak of this
habit of 'hidden euthanasia', of not caring for them, of not taking
them into consideration. … And the young fall by the wayside too,
as they cannot find work and dignity. This world has no future. Why?
Because they have no dignity! It is difficult to have dignity without
work”.

“This
is your suffering, here. This is the prayer you call out: 'Work,
work, work'. It is a necessary prayer. Work means dignity, work means
bringing home bread, work means love! To defend this idolatrous
system we have established a 'throwaway culture': we set aside our
grandparents and set aside the young. And we must say 'no' to this
throwaway culture'. We must say, 'We want a just system! A system
that lets all of us move ahead!' We must say, 'We no longer want this
globalised economic system, that does us so much harm!' Men and women
should be at the centre, not money!”

“I
had written a number of things to say to you, but, looking at you,
these words came to me instead. … I preferred to say to you what
came into my heart, looking at you in this moment! I know it is easy
to say, never lose hope. But to all, to all of you, those who have a
job and those of you who do not, I say, 'Do not allow your hope to be
taken from you!' … Perhaps hope is like the smouldering embers
below the ashes; let us help ourselves in solidarity, let us blow on
the ashes to reignite the flames. Hope leads us on. That isn't
optimism, it is something else. But hope is not for one person alone,
hope is something we do together! We must keep hope alive together,
all of you, and all of us, who are so far away. … So, I say to you:
'Do not be robbed of hope!'. But we must be clever, as the Lord says
that the idols are more cunning than we are. The Lord invites us to
have the cunning of the snake with the goodness of the dove. We must
have this cunning, and call things by their proper name. In this
moment, in our current economic system, in our proposed globalised
system of life, there is an idol at the centre and this cannot be!
Let us struggle together to restore to the centre, at least in our
lives, men, women and the family, all of us, so that hope might live
on'.

“I
would like to finish by praying with all of you, in silence, in
silence, praying with all of you. I will say what comes to my heart
and, in silence, pray with me. Lord God, look at us! Look at this
city, this island. Look at our families. Lord, you had work, you were
a carpenter, and you were happy. Lord, we have no work. Idols try to
rob us of our dignity. Unjust systems rob us of hope. Lord, do not
leave us alone. Help us to help ourselves; so that we leave our
selfishness behind and feel in our hearts the 'we' of a people who
wish to forge ahead. Lord Jesus, who did not lack work, give us work
and teach us how to strive for work, and bless us all”.

Vatican
City, 22 September 2013 (VIS) – At 10 o'clock in the morning, after
greeting the political representatives who awaited him, the Holy
Father entered the shrine of Our Lady of Bonaria and met with a group
of sick people. At 10.45 he proceeded to the square adjacent to the
shrine where he presided over the celebration of the Holy Mass along
with Archbishop Arrigo Miglio of Cagliari. In his homily, the Pope
alluded again to unemployment, precariousness and uncertainty
regarding the future suffered by the inhabitants of Sardinia. “The
loyal cooperation of everyone is necessary, with the commitment of
leaders of institutions — even within the Church — to ensure the
fundamental rights of persons and families, and to grow more
fraternal and united. To ensure the right to work, to bring home
bread, bread earned through work!”

Francis
assured those present of his nearness and encouraged them to
“persevere in your testimony of human and Christian values, so
deeply rooted in faith and in the history of this land and
population. Always keep the light of hope alive!” He went on to
reiterate how “Mary teaches us to have complete trust in God, in
His mercy” and the importance of encountering the gaze of Mary, as
there we find reflected the gaze of the Father, who made her the
Mother of God, and the gaze of the Son from the cross, who made her
our Mother. “With this gaze Mary watches over us today. We need her
tender gaze, her maternal gaze that knows us better than anyone else,
her gaze full of compassion and care”.

Francis
urged Sardinians, in spite of their difficulties, not to forget that
they are not alone, that they are a united people and, walking
together, they may learn to look upon each other under with the
fraternal gaze Mary teaches us. “She invites us to become true
brothers”, he continued. “Let us not allow anything to come
between us and the gaze of the Virgin!. … Let us not be robbed of
her gaze!”

At
the end of the eucharistic celebration the Holy Father prayed the
Angelus with the faithful and pilgrims present, whom he entrusted to
the Virgin of Bonaria. He recalled all the Marian sanctuaries present
in Sardinia and the strong bond with Mary expressed in Sardinian
devotion and culture. He urged them to always be “true children of
Mary and of the Church, and demonstrate this in your life, following
the example of the saints”. The Pope concluded by mentioning the
beatification in Bergamo on Saturday of the Capuchin friar Tommaso
Acerbis da Olera.

Vatican
City, 22 September 2013 (VIS) - “Thank you all for being here. In
your faces I see weariness, but also hope. Be aware that you are
loved by the Lord, and also by many good people who with their
prayers and their works help to alleviate the suffering of their
neighbour. I feel at home here. … Here we feel strongly and in a
concrete way that we are all brothers. Here the only Father is our
celestial Father, and the only Master is Jesus Christ. So, the first
thing I wish to share with you is precisely this joy of having Jesus
as a Master, as a model of life. … We all face difficulties, all of
us. … All of us here – all of us – have weaknesses, all of us
are frail. No-one is better than another. We are all equal before the
Father, all of us!”

With
these words Pope Francis addressed the detainees and the poor
assisted by Caritas who gathered to meet with him yesterday in the
Cathedral of Cagliari.

“Looking
to Jesus we see that He has chosen the path of humility and service.
… He was neither indecisive nor indifferent: he made a choice and
carried it through until the end. He chose to make himself a man, and
as a man to become a servant, unto death on the cross. This is the
path of love; there is no other. Therefore we see that charity is not
a simple question of providing assistance, and far less a form of
assistance for quieting consciences. No, that is not love, that is
sales, that is business. Love is free. Charity and love are a life
choice, a way of being, of living, it is the way of humility and
solidarity. … This word 'solidarity'... in our throwaway culture,
in which what we do not need, we cast aside, leaving only those who
consider themselves righteous, who feel pure, who feel clean. Poor
things! This word, solidarity, risks being cancelled from the
dictionary, because it is an inconvenient word, because it obliges us
to look to others and to give ourselves to others with love”.

But
the path of humility and solidarity, added the Pope, was not invented
by priests; rather, it was a path taken first by Jesus, and was not a
form of “moralism or sentiment. The humility of Christ was real,
the decision to be small, to stay with other small people, with the
excluded, to stay among us, all of us sinners. But be careful: this
is not an ideology! It is a way of being and living that begins with
love, that starts from the heart of God”.

“But
it is not enough to watch, it is necessary to follow! … Jesus did
not come into the world to be seen … it is a path and the purpose
of a path is to be followed”, the Pope emphasised, thanking the
detainees for their efforts in following Him, even in their weariness
and suffering inside the prison walls. He also gave thanks to all
those who dedicate themselves to works of mercy, encouraging them to
continue and reminding them that works of charity must always be done
“with tenderness, and always with humility”.

“At
times”, he observed, “we encounter arrogance in the service of
the poor. I am sure you have seen this. … Some make themselves look
good by speaking of the poor; others exploit the poor for their own
interests or those of their group. This is a grave sin, as it means
using the needy, those who are in need, who are Jesus' flesh, for
one's own vanity. I use Jesus for my own vanity, this is a serious
sin! It would be better for people like this to stay at home!”

To
follow Jesus on the path of charity means “to go with Him to the
existential peripheries... For the Good Shepherd, that which is lost
and disdained is in need of greater care. … In the Church, the
first are those who have the greatest human, spiritual and material
need”.

Following
Christ in the path of charity means “to sow hope … those who hold
political and civil responsibilities have a task, which as citizens
they must actively undertake. Some members of the Christian community
are called to engage in the political sphere, which is a high form of
charity, as Paul VI said. But as a Church we all have a strong
responsibility, and that is to sow hope through works of solidarity,
always seeking to collaborate in the best way with the public
institutions, with respect for their various competences. Caritas is
an expression of community, and the strength of the Christian
community is helping society to grow from within, like leaven. I
think of your initiatives with detainees in prisons, I think of the
voluntary work of many associations, of solidarity with families who
suffer the most from lack of work. In this I say: have courage! Do
not allow yourselves to be robbed of hope, and carry on! On the
contrary, sow hope”.

At
the end of the meeting, Francis met to pray with the cloistered nuns
of the city of Cagliari, whom he encouraged to go forward with the
certainty that “the Lord has called you to support the Church in
prayer”.